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Interactive Spelling Dictionaries & Spelling Styles Freebie

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Spelling is a skill that develops with time, teaching and practice. We work hard all school year to build solid spelling foundations in our little learners. To do this, we provide our students with engaging tools that assist and challenge them to be responsible for their own learning.

Now's the time for us to up the ante a bit when it comes to their spelling. “My Writing Words Interactive Spelling Dictionary for Primary Writers” empowers our students to take a dive into their dictionary and look up the words they need! It's a great next step from our Letter Sound Dictionaries which has transitioned into a totally independent activity in our class.

Prepping "My Writing Words" dictionaries is quick and easy. We just use construction paper or cardstock for the cover and 10 pieces of copy paper per dictionary. This booklet works best when copied back to back and fed through a top slot document feeder copier. Just print and go!

Once quickly prepped, we're ready to give! We bring a big basket into class and tell them we have a present for them. Their little faces light up! We've learned there are two ways to light up a first grader's face...Tell them it's a present, or tell them it comes with candy...Done. :)

We gift each student with their own dictionary and let them color the cover. Anyway they chose to color...ahem.

Then it becomes their BDF (Best Friend Dictionary Forever) as they quickly fall in love with their new word pal!

The inside contains a page for each letter with frequently used words and lines for adding some new ones too. Plus, we've filled a few pages in with specialty words...

*Animal Words

*Beginning Blends

*Color Words

*Compound Words

*Contraction Words

*Digraphs

*Family Words

*Days of the Week

*Months of the Year

*Shapes Words

We have a few rules in our classroom when it comes to our dictionaries.1. If the word is in your dictionary (or on the class word wall), you may not ask how to spell it. *You may find it and highlight it, so it's easier for you to find next time.2. If the word is not in your dictionary (or on our class word wall), you may ask how to spell it ONE time. *We will either print it in their dictionary for them, or tell them how to spell it and ask them to write it on a blank line. 3. Once a word is in your dictionary, you own it. It's yours forever and ever and there's never a time when you can ask how to spell it ever again.

Once we give them their presents, we tell them we have presents for their presents! Huh?

We created 9 interactive activities that can be used anytime, anywhere and with any words from their spelling dictionaries.

When we first introduced them, we gave the entire class a choice of all 9 activities to gauge which ones they were interested in most. This helped us choose the activities for centers time in the coming weeks.

"Fancy Schmancy" for the win! Duh...

Dictionary Dive was a close second choice. For this one, they just flip to any word, write and illustrate it to show their comprehension.

Pyramid words are fun too!

We had one student who is always up for the challenge choose to make his own word search. He was so proud of himself when it was done! We ended up copying it and offering it as a Workshop job the following week. He was beaming!

In the coming weeks, we'll be giving them motivational mats for the week to allow them choice and to keep them on track with their word practice.

We never ever have trouble getting kids to practice their spelling words when they can choose their own spelling style!

Dolphin = Just say, "eek" "eek" after each word or letter

Sad = Sob your way through your spelling word

Rock Star = Bang your head and play your air guitar as you spell

Skywrite = Write it with your imaginary sky writer (pointer finger) high in the air

Shark = Use your fingers and hands to make Jaws and chomp, chomp as you spell

Jumprope = Grab your pretend jumprope and jump out the word

Table Tap = Tap your table with each letter

Robot = Use your best robot voice

Baby = Waaaah

Stomp = Stomp the spelling word

Dog = Bark, bark as you go

Pirate = ARGH!

Hula Hoop = Be the best imaginary hula hooper around!

Surfer = Catch those waves Dude

Opera = Belt it out!

Kitty Cat = Meow, meow

Movie Star = Act famous as you spell

Hippity Hop = Hop on 1 foot and don't fall over

Back 2 Back = Spell with your pointer finger on a friend's back

Mousy = Let's hear those itty bitty, mouse voices

We copy and cut apart the Spelling Style cards and keep them handy when we're needing to practice our "out loud" spelling. We pick a card and act out our words. Some of the ideas have come from the kids over the years and they just stick. Bottom line, the kids think they're being silly, but their teachers know they are spelling all the way!

We love 2 things...Teaching and being Moms. We've been blessed to have the best of both worlds collaborating as first grade job share teachers for over 10 years. We share everything...From Mommy Moments to Teacher Tricks of the Trade, we're excited to flutter through this journey with you!

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